The Comedy Of Romeo and Juliet
by lyonhearted
Summary: Bella is just a normal girl with a normal crush. Except for the fact that her crush is the popular Edward Masen, and he hates her guts! What's a girl to do? Could the school play be the solution to her problems? BxE, ALL HUMAN HAS BEEN ADOPTED
1. Romeo and Juliet

_Disclaimer: Do I LOOK like Stepenie Meyer to you? I didn't think so._

**A/N- SQUEE! My first real Twilight ficcy! Hope you guys enjoy!**

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"C'm-ON, Bella! I want to see Emmet before the warning bell rings!"

I sighed and suddenly squeaked when my sister Rosalie literally dragged me down the hallway. I looked over my shoulder at our brother Jasper and mouthed the words, "Help me!"

Jasper just grinned and shook his head. It was easy to see how amusing he thought it was.

He then had the nerve to wave at me and walk away, leaving me to my doom.

I growled imperceptibly and said to Rosalie, "Let's go to first period before we're late. You'll just have to see Emmet in English." I pulled Rosalie after me, ignoring my sister's indignant squeals.

When we reached the science room I let go of her and turned to face my sister's scowling face. "You know, you should be thanking me," I reminded her smugly. "After all, one more tardy and you'll get detention, which would cut into your time with precious _Emmy_."

Rosie sat down and proceeded to ignore me. I rolled my eyes and turned to face the front of the room.

At the end of first period we both walked out of the room, Rosalie moaning and groaning about how gross the frogs were and how she almost got frog guts on her dress. (God forbid!)

"Let's get to English; you don't want to miss a minute with Emmy, do you?" I said drolly.

As expected, Rosie squealed and ran down the hall (as well as she could with three-inch heels) and I shuffled after her.

I walked into room c-303 and was shocked when something smacked me on the side of the head. I turned around, ready to start cursing, but stopped when I saw who threw the ball.

It was Edward Masen. The guy I have had a crush on for the last two years. The guy who most of the female population of Forks High have had a crush on since they were freshmen. Essentially, the most popular guy in school.

I was knocked out of my idiotic ogling when Edward scowled at me and said, "Uh, can you throw the ball _please_?"

Did I mention he also hated my guts?

"S-sure," I stuttered, feeling like a fool as I threw the football over to him. He caught it and didn't give me a second glance.

I walked over to the table where Emmet, Rosie, Alice (my best friend ever), and Jasper were all sitting. Alice patted me on the back sympathetically, while the others remained oblivious.

The bell soon rang and Ms. Murphy waltzed in, beaming at all of us. She clapped her hands in delight, looking genuinely happy to see us. Ms. Murphy was just a perpetually happy person.

"Hello, everyone!" she sang, "Today we are going to begin _Romeo and Juliet_!"

I looked at Ms. Murphy, surprised. One of the guys in the back shouted, "Hey! You never said anything about this!"

"I didn't?" she asked, puzzled. Everyone shook their heads vehemently. "Well, I'm telling you now!"

She walked past her desk and said, "Now, we will have quick auditions today. I will simply have you read from the script, so no need to worry about memorizing lines!"

There was a wicked giggle from the back and Lauren Mallory announced, "Well, it's obvious that _I'm_ going to be Juliet."

I rolled my eyes, and I saw Jasper grimace in disgust next to me. I turned around and saw Lauren now sucking face with Edward in the middle of the classroom. I faced the front of the classroom again, feeling sick.

Ms. Murphy then proceeded to start the auditions. Some people weren't very good, and others were awful. Fewer were the good ones, which included a girl named Angela, Alice, Rosie, and Jasper, and a few other people whose names I didn't know.

When Ms. Murphy reached Edward, I craned my head around to watch. She handed him the script and instructed him to read Romeo's soliloquy from Act 2, Scene 2.

Edward cleared his throat and began:

"_He jests at scars that never felt a wound.  
But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?  
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.  
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,  
Who is already sick and pale with grief,  
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:  
Be not her maid, since she is envious;  
Her vestal livery is but sick and green  
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.  
It is my lady, O, it is my love!  
O, that she knew she were!  
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?  
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.  
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:  
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,  
Having some business, do entreat her eyes  
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.  
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?  
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,  
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven  
Would through the airy region stream so bright  
That birds would sing and think it were not night.  
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!  
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,  
That I might touch that cheek!"_

I nearly swooned when I heard Edward's throaty voice reading Romeo's lines. If he didn't get the part, no one would!

Ms. Murphy clapped enthusiastically and cried, "Bravo, Edward, bravo!"

I looked at Lauren and noticed she was looking particularly smug. I wanted to wipe that smirk right off her face, I really did. Luckily, it was now _my_ turn.

Ms. Murphy handed me the script and said with a kindly smile, "Just do your best, dear."

I gulped, suddenly nervous, and began reading in a shaky voice:

"_Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,  
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek  
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night  
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny  
What I have spoke: but farewell compliment!  
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say 'Ay,'  
And I will take thy word: yet if thou swear'st,  
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers' perjuries  
Then say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,  
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:  
Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,  
I'll frown and be perverse an say thee nay,  
So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world."_

My voice slowly grew stronger and more confident as I got into the part.

_"In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond,  
And therefore thou mayst think my 'havior light:  
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true  
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.  
I should have been more strange, I must confess,  
But that thou overheard'st, ere I was ware,  
My true love's passion: therefore pardon me,  
And not impute this yielding to light love,  
Which the dark night hath so discovered."_

When I finished, there was only silence. I looked up to find that everyone was staring at me, most with astonishment on their faces. Lauren looked outraged, while Alice, Jasper, Rosie, and Emmet looked strangely triumphant. Edward was looking at me with his eyebrows raised, so, like an idiot, I blushed and hid my face in the script.

"Well done, well done!" exclaimed Ms. Murphy in delight. "That was wonderful!"

She took the script from my hands and said, just as the bell rang, "Now, the parts will be posted tomorrow. Also, tomorrow we will begin reading _Romeo and Juliet_ for the first time, so be sure to bring your scripts which I gave you!" As soon as she was done talking, everyone rushed to get out the door.

"That was AWESOME, Bella!" Emmet exclaimed as he crushed me in one of his famous bear hugs.

When my feet were firmly planted on the ground again, Alice gave me a look of vauge amusement. "Well, that makes things interesting, doesn't it?" she said mysteriously.

My mind flashed to the look on Edward's face when I finished my lines. It was a look of deep, unfathomable curiosity.

"Yeah," I agreed tonelessly, "Interesting."

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**A/N-C'mon, people, you know what to do! Just click that little button and re-VEIW!! :)**


	2. Holy Statutory!

_Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine. Gosh._

**A/N- This was actually slightly based on a moment in my Enlish class when we were reading _Romeo and Juliet_. I just couldn't resist. ;)**

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The next day I was besieged by whispers as soon as I walked into room C-303. My face reddened as I hurriedly walked over the poster board with the cast list on it. The list read as follows:

Romeo: Edward Masen

Juliet: Bella Swan **(A/N-She, Rosalie, and Jasper are step-siblings)**

Lord Montague: Ben Cheney

Lady Montague: Lauren Mallory

Benvolio: Jasper Hale

Mercutio: Emmet Cullen

Abram: Matt Benningfield

Balthasar: Eric Thomas

Lord Capulet: Marcus Woods

Lady Capulet: Rosalie Hale

Tybalt: Mike Newton

Count Paris: Jacob Black

Nurse: Alice Cullen

Peter: Jeff Gomez

Prince Escalus: Angela Michaels

Friar Laurence: Jack Fredrickson

Friar John: Ernest Mitchell

Apothecary: Frank Baker

Gregory and Sampson: Hunter Stone and Trevor Albeck

My mouth dropped open in shock. Me? Juliet? This was very bad.

Lauren martched up to me furiously and hissed, "One wrong move, _Swan_, and I will _destroy_ you."

I nodded slowly, trying not to laugh at her pathetic threat.

Looking satisfied, she flounced back to where Edward was sitting and started making out with him.

Alice came over to me and said cheerfully, "Well, this is excellent!"

I wrentched my eyes away from Lauren and Edward and looked at Alice incredulously. "No, this is very, very bad," I exclaimed. "I don't want to make a fool of myself onstage! Especially-" here I lowered my voice, "especially in front of Edward!"

Alice snorted and said reproachfully, "Bella, you are _such_ a pessimist!"

Ms. Murphy interrupted our conversation be saying, "Okay, everyone, sit down and get out your scripts!"

Alice and I sat down in our usual seats next to the others and all of us pulled out our scripts.

Ms. Murphy had, in my opinion, an unusually mischevious look on her face when she said, "Alright, people, first thing: Give me an example of something you would get in trouble for talking about in class."

Predictably, Emmet shouted, "Sex!"

Everyone in the class laughed, but Ms. Murphy nodded and wrote "sex" on the board. "What else?"

This spurred many people to start shouting out answers, all of which she wrote on the board. When we were done, the list was rather lengthy and included such topics as "sex", "homosexuality", "masturbation", "foul language", "crude jokes", "pornography", and a number of other things.

Ms. Murphy then turned to the class and said, "So, now I'll circle all the things that are in Romeo and Juliet."

My jaw dropped. She circled almost ALL of them!

Ms. Murphy took a look at our expressions and laughed. "Yes, Shakespeare was a rather risque gentleman. In fact, he begins almost all of his plays with a crude joke or two."

Angela raised her hand and asked, "But, if it has so many taboo topics, then why does the school let us read it?"

Ms. Murphy smiled and replied, "That's a very good question. Class, why do they let us read it?"

Ben raised his hand and answered, "Maybe it's because they can't understand it, because of the Old English?"

"That's a good answer. Anyone else?"

I tenatively raised my hand and said, "Well, it could be because Romeo and Juliet is a classic, and a work of art. I mean, all those sculptors who made naked statues weren't told to censor their art for the good of the general public."

"Excellent, Bella, Excellent," Ms. Murphy said. "Now, open your scripts to Act 1, Scene 1."

The reading of the script was, to put it simply, hilarious. Lauren couldn't pronounce any of her lines and at one point Emmet said, "Holy statutory! Juliet's FOURTEEN? Isn't that illegal?" Jasper, Alice, Roaslie and I burst out laughing.

Lauren was also flirting with Edward immensly. I got so sick of her simpering that I went, "-cough-slut-cough-"

"What did you say?!" she screeched.

"-cough-incest-cough-" coughed Alice.

"BITCH!" screamed Lauren.

"Ms. Mallory, control yourself!" cried Ms. Murphy.

Lauren sat down, fuming. I exchanged a high-five with Alice and saw Edward looking at me, amused. But when he saw me looking at him, he scowled and turned away.

I sighed morosely and Alice smiled at me sympathetically.

When the bell rang, Ms. Murphy, "Class, make sure you read the rest of the play, because tomorrow we will start rehearsing! Bella, Edward, please stay after class."

Alice and I exchanged confused looks. What did I do?

After everyone left, Ms. Murphy turned to Edward and I and said, "Starting after school, you two will have extra rehearsals. I'll have to work with you two more than the others."

I immediately opened my mouth to protest, but Edward beat me to the punch.

"Do I have to? I have things to do, you know," said Edward petulantly.

I looked at him in disbelief as Ms. Murphy replied icily, "You do if you want to pass. Both of you are dismissed."

Edward immediately raced out of the classroom. I sighed and walked out, feeling dejected. After school was going to be hell.

_Alice was right_, I mused, _I __**am**__ a pessimist_.


	3. I've Really Done It Now

_Disclaimer: Minime! I do not own Twilight! (**Minime** means **No** in Latin. Yeah, I'm edacated ;)_

**A/N- Wow! I'm on a roll! Good for you guys!!**

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I sucked in a deep breath, my hand resting on the doorknob. Should I open the door? Nah, another second to compose myself. No, one more. Okay, maybe-

SMACK.

I gave a yelp as I landed on my butt, my hands over my throbbing nose. I looked up to see Edward staring at me with _his_ hand on the doorknob, smirking.

"Are you going to come inside any time soon?" he asked in an annoyingly cocky way.

I scrambled up from the floor, may face burning. Though I swore Edward chuckled when I passed by him going through the door. Ugh. Me and my stupid, idiotic, _hopeful _imagination.

Ms. Murphy smiled at me as I walked up to her, with Edward trailing behind me. She clapped her hands together in her usual perky way and said brightly, "Now, naturally, we'll be starting on Act 1, Scene 5. That's when Romeo and Juliet first meet, of course!"

I was absolutely surprised be the fact that I wanted to strangle the twinkle right out of Ms. Murphy's eye. My face felt positively red with rage. Maybe it was just PMS. Yeah. Sure, that's a reasonable explanation. Oh, who was I kidding?

Ms. Murphy seemed entirely unaware of my homicidal tendencies at the moment, or maybe she didn't care. She beamed at both of us and said, "Well? Get out your scripts!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward's shoulders shaking. As he turned around I caught a glimpse of a smile on his face.

"Well, as long as you're enjoying yourself," I muttered to myself sarcastically. Geez, I really needed to get a better handle on my emotions. It must be Edward. He must be throwing off my equilibrium.

Ms. Murphy turned to Edward and said, "Alright, Edward, start where it says, 'If I profane with my unworthiest hand; This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this'."

Edward and I faced each other, and I felt my breath quicken when I looked into his dazzlingly green eyes. I quickly ducked my head in embarrassment, and I heard him chuckle. But when he began speaking, most all rational thought left my mind.

_"If I profane with my unworthiest hand  
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:  
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss,_" Edward read, his voice like soft velvet.

"_Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,  
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;  
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,  
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss,"_ I whispered, not trusting myself to speak louder.

_"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?_" responded Edward, his own lips curling into a smile.

_"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer._" I felt myself smile too. It was impossible not to. Edward had a way of making me feel totally comfortable and totally _un_comfortable at the same time.

_"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;  
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair._" My eyes were drawn to Edward's as he said those lines, and they completely dazzled me.

_"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake,_" I muttered faintly, my eyes still glued to Edward's.

_"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.  
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged,_" Edward recited smoothly.

_"Then have my lips the sin that they have took."_ I felt exhilarated, absolutely giddy, still staring deep into Edward's eyes.

_"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
Give me my sin again_," Edward murmured.

_"You kiss by the book,_" I whispered, and immediately after I was broken from my trance by the loud applause of Ms. Murphy.

"That was lovely! Wonderful! Oh, I knew I made a good choice picking you two for the parts!" Ms. Murphy looked almost as giddy as I felt a moment ago, but I was annoyed by her behavior. Couldn't she see we were having a moment?

No, I realized, she didn't see, because we _weren't_ having a moment. A "moment" was shared be people who loved each other, and Edward certainly didn't love me. I dropped my head, suddenly downtrodden.

As I was packing up, I heard someone walk up behind me. I turned around, expecting it to be Ms. Murphy with some schedule or something, but was utterly surprised to see it was Edward. He grinned at me with his charmingly crooked smile, and I felt my heart flutter.

"So, Bella," Edward began, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?"

I gaped at him like an absolute idiot, not comprehending, before something else managed to get through my abnormally thick skull.

"Wait a minute- aren't you dating Lauren?" I asked, totally perplexed.

"Well, yes" he admitted, seemingly reluctant, "But she doesn't have to know about it, does she?"

I gaped at him again, now for a completely different reason. Sure, I've had a crush on him for years, and sure, I absolutely loathed Lauren, but this was just _messed up_.

"I'm sorry, _Edward_," I emphasized his name in anger, "But I can't go out with someone who can't manage to get their priorities straight."

With that, I whirled around, grabbed my bag, and marched out the door, leaving Edward with a presumably shocked look on his face.

As I marched down the hallway, one thought repeated itself as a mantra in my head: "_What have I done?_"

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**A/N- DUN DUN _DUN_!! Angst! What happens next? If you wanna know, REVIEW!**


	4. Loitering is Illegal in All 51 States

Disclaimer: Man, I wish I had some clever way to say this, but I don't at the moment. So, I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own Twilight.

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You know how I said that Ms. Murphy was just the sweetest little thing? Yeah, I was WRONG.

Within the few days since we've started the play, I've come to realize she is a she-demon more sadistic than Alice on a shopping spree. I've contemplated faking my death once, self-injury four times, and begun plotting an elaborate revenge scheme several times, all to get out of the play. Unfortunately, I had the feeling that I would be forced to be Juliet regardless of whether I was conscious and/or breathing.

So for the last few days I've been spending half of 2nd period acting and the other half avoiding Edward, who seemed hell-bent on cornering me for one reason or another. Honestly, I didn't want to listen to anything he had to say. It was beyond annoying.

I was broken out of my internal grumbling by the happy-go-lucky sound of Ms. Murphy's voice berating Emmet once again on his lines. I grimaced and focused on their conversation.

"It's not that hard, Emmet, just try it," she encouraged.

Emmet took a deep breath and recited:

"_Alas poor Romeo! He is already dead; stabbed with a  
__white wench's black eye; shot through the ear with a  
love-song; the very pin of his heart cleft with-"_

"No, no," admonished our teacher, "Your lined aren't unhappy, they're sarcastic. Come on, try it again."

Emmet unclenched his teeth and tried again. "_Alas poor Romeo! He_-"

"No!" cried Ms. Murphy, "You're still-"

"You know what?" fumed Emmet, "I-I CAN'T WORK UNDER THESE CONDITIONS!!" He whirled around with a flourish and dramatically stormed offstage. I had to stifle my laughter at his reaction.

"Having fun?" a velvety voice whispered at my elbow.

I immediately turned around and glared at the speaker, who was none other than Edward Masen himself, the most recent bane of my existence. "What do you want?"

"Can't a guy just stand around?" he asked innocently, but I was not fooled.

"That's called loitering, and is illegal in most establishments," I fired back, annoyed.

Edward chuckled and turned his attention to the stage, where Lauren was standing trying to deliver her lines. "You know, I broke up with Lauren yesterday," he said, trying to be casual about it.

I glanced at Edward sideways, wondering if he was joking. "So?"

"So-" he seemed to hesitate, before resolutely plowing on, "-so there shouldn't be any problem with you going out with me this Saturday?"

I sucked in a sharp breath before meeting Edward's gaze with my own. "Are you trying to be _funny_?" I demanded.

"Huh?" he asked, bewildered.

I shook my head, utterly disgusted. "You're unbelievable."

"Wait – what?" he grabbed my arm to stop me from walking away. I wrenched my arm from his grasp, utterly enraged.

"You think you can just dump your floozy of a girlfriend, and expect me to fall into your waiting arms?" I asked him angrily.

"Um…" Edward quailed under my furious gaze. "Maybe…?"

Consumed by fury, I could only let loose an inarticulate howl of rage. I was just about to claw Edward's eyes out (quite happily, I might add) when Ms. Murphy called, "Alright, Bella, Edward, you're up for Act 3, Scene 5."

I glared at Ms. Murphy with as much loathing as I could muster, but she remained oblivious to it entirely. "Best not to dawdle, now."

I grumbled my way up the stage stairs, my temper cooled slightly, only slightly, because it shot back up again as soon as I heard Edward's heavenly chuckles behind me.

We faced each other onstage with our scripts in our hands. I refused to meet his eyes, knowing I would hardly be able to restrain myself from attacking him at the moment. Jeez, I really needed to chillax. Heh. _Chillax_.

"Okay, Juliet, begin," said Ms. Murphy in a business-like tone.

I took a deep breath before beginning my lines in a begrudging tone:

"_Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day:  
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,  
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;  
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:  
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."_

I rolled my eyes at the stupid words, but was once again struck breathless at Edward's voice.

"_It was the lark, the herald of the morn,  
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks  
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:  
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day  
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.  
I must be gone and live, or stay and die_," he said, cool as a cucumber.

Stupid guy with his stupid, lovely voice and his stupid, sexy hair and-

I gave myself a mental slap and continued with my lines:

"_Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I:  
It is some meteor that the sun exhales,  
To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,  
And light thee on thy way to Mantua:  
Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone."_

Edward smiled at me mysteriously and winked, making me mad all over again. Wait-did I seriously just _blush_? _Again_?

"_Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;  
I am content, so thou wilt have it so.  
I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye,  
'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow;  
Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat  
The vaulty heaven so high above our heads:  
I have more care to stay than will to go:  
Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.  
How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day,"_ he said, and I almost heard a pleading note in his voice. How curious…and how bizarre. **(1)**

_"It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away!  
It is the lark that sings so out of tune,  
Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps.  
Some say the lark makes sweet division;  
This doth not so, for she divideth us:  
Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes,  
O, now I would they had changed voices too!  
Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray,  
Hunting thee hence with hunt's-up to the day,  
O, now be gone; more light and light it grows."_

Again I rolled my eyes as I said the words. _Ah, the idiocy of love,_ I thought sardonically,

"_More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!_," Edward finished, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was almost pathetically grateful when Ms. Murphy decided to let us leave early. I grabbed my bag, and was just about to dash out the door when a familiar hand grabbed my wrist.

"Hey…what's the hurry?" Edwrad asked with his infamous crooked grin on his face.

I inwardly groaned and faced Edward. "What do you want?" I sighed wearily.

Edwrad's visage abruptly turned serious as he leaned down to my face. "What can I do to convince you I'm serious about you?" he asked me softly.

I blinked, not expecting his question. I replied slowly, "Well, you have to be willing to work for it. I'm not one of your floozys, Edward."

"Don't I know it," Edward chuckled, suddenly in better spirits. He had a mischevious twinkle in his eyes that suddenly looked menacing. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."

Edward then walked out of the room, a slight bounce in his step. I looked after him for a moment, shocked and perplexed. Finally, I walked out the door as well, my head muddled and confused. _What was he up to?_

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**(1)** A line from one of my favorite plays, called _The Bald Soprano_. You peeps should read it sometime, because it's hilarial.


	5. The Pencil Is Mightier Than The Sword

_Disclaimer: Not mine, yada, yada, yada...let's get to the chapter, shall we?_

**A/N- Sorry for the wait. I had a teeny bit of trouble with this chapter. :)**

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**Last Chapter:**

"_Don't I know it," Edward chuckled, suddenly in better spirits. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that suddenly looked menacing. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."_

_Edward then walked out of the room, a slight bounce in his step. I looked after him for a moment, shocked and perplexed. Finally, I walked out the door as well, my head muddled and confused. What was he up to?_

**Chapter 5: The Pencil is Mightier Than The Sword**

Needless to say, I showed up to school the next morning apprehensive. I never did like surprises. I walked to my locker as quickly as I could, my siblings following me with difficulty.

"Geez, Bella. Slow down, would ya?" griped Rosalie. I ignored her with practiced ease.

When I reached my locker, I opened it to find a letter on top of my books. I picked it up with curiosity, not recognizing the delicate script that spelled out my name across the front.

Jasper peered over my shoulder, just as curious as I was. "Who's that from?" he asked.

"I was just about to open it," I replied. I carefully ripped open the top of the envelope and read the letter. It said:

_Dear Bella Swan,_

_I would be delighted if you would agree to join me for lunch today. I shall be waiting in room B-27 with baited breath. _

_Until then,_

_Edward Masen._

_P.S. A surprise is waiting for you in your 1st period. Don't be late._

I raised an eyebrow incredulously at his stiff, formal language. Was this his idea of romantic?

"Aww, that's so cute!" Rosalie cooed, making me jump. "The guy you like likes you back!"

I gasped and dropped the letter, my face flaming. "How did you know about that?!"

Rosie rolled her eyes and said, "I may be blonde, Bella, but I'm not stupid." She grabbed my arm and dragged me off in her usual routine, saying, "Now, I'm sure you don't want to miss your surprise, whatever it is…"

We arrived at our 1st period just before the bell rang. I gulped when I noticed all the curious stared directed my way. Hopefully, Eward's surprise wasn't _too_ embarrassing. I started to walk over to my desk, but stopped when I saw what was on it.

A large vase of beautiful, long-stemmed roses was on my desk. They were a light pink and smelled quite pleasant, even from where I was. I hurried up to my desk and ripped off the note that was attached to the vase. It read:

_Hopefully these will convince you of the sincerity in my pursuit of your affections. God knows my words will not._

_Humbly yours,_

_Edward._

_P.S. Do you like the color? They remind me of your lovely blush._

I giggled at the first part, and predictably blushed at the complement. One thing was for sure, Edward could definitely be charming if he wanted to.

Rosie, having read the note over my shoulder, giggled, but said nothing.

I tottered out of Biology when the bell rang, trying to carry the vase without tripping. Emmet managed to catch up with us and, after a few moments of watching me fumble the vase, rolled his eyes and offered to carry the vase himself. I gratefully handed it to him and instead focused my thoughts on what to say to Edward next period.

Alice greeted me at the door and squealed when she saw the flowers. I gave her a weird look and she explained, "Oh, I just knew he would do it! The flowers are from Edward, right?"

I glanced at Alice and inquired, "Are you sure you're not psychic?" She rolled her eyes in reply, as if my question was stupid. We both sat down at our usual table, Emmet gentlemanly enough to set my flowers next to my chair for me.

I saw Edward looking at me and smiled at him hesitantly. He grinned back at me in response.

"I don't get it. If Edward liked me, then why did he act like such a jerk?" I asked Alice uncertainly. She tinkled a laugh and replied, "Didn't you know that boys oftentimes act like jerks if they like a girl? I mean, honestly."

"Yeah, until they get the 'nads to do something about it," Emmet guffawed until Rosie smacked him on the shoulder.

"Alright, let's get started!" crowed Ms. Murphy, having just walked in the door. A chorus of groans accompanied this announcement, along with the rustling of scripts as everyone flipped pages to the right scene.

Ms. Murphy, her script already open, informed us, "Today we will be doing Act 3, Scene 1. So…" She flipped through the pages at a remarkable speed. "Let's have Benvolio, Mercutio, and Tybalt come up to the front of the room. Everyone else: talk quietly amongst yourselves."

Emmet and Jasper both got up, along with a really annoying dude named Mike Newton who was constantly hitting on me. Annoying.

A minute later I was surprised when Edward came over to sit in Jasper's empty chair beside me. I looked around to find Alice, but she seemed to have moved to chat with Angela across the room. How coincidental.

I turned to face Edward again, and saw that he had a smug smile on his face. I glared at him slightly until the smugness was gone. He looked earnestly hopeful as he asked, "Did you like the flowers?"

"Very much," I replied shyly. Edward's grin grew bigger at that.

Emmet was saying his lines with as much humor as he could muster. It was quite amusing to watch. He said:

_"Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? and  
thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but  
discords: here's my fiddlestick; here's that shall  
make you dance. 'Zounds, consort!"_

It took all the self-control I had not to laugh out loud at Emmet's taunting expression. He was really getting into the part.

To distract myself, I turned back to Edward, who was looking at me closely.

I self-consciously brushed my face with my fingers as I asked, "What, do I have something on my face?"

Edward snapped out of his daze and, embarrassed, said, "You know, you're kind of cute when you laugh."

I grinned at his discomfort and said coyly, "What, I'm only _kind of_ cute? I'm hurt!"

Edward rolled his eyes in response and said, "Well, now that you've fully quashed my dignity, I have a few questions for you."

"Like what?" I asked suspiciously.

"Hmmm…" He thought for a moment. "What's your favorite color?"

"Green," I replied automatically. I blushed when I realized the double connotation in my words. Thankfully, Edward didn't seem to notice.

Edward nodded and asked another question. "Okay, what's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?"

I was about to reply when I heard someone screech "OW! MYYY EEYEE!!"

Both Edward and I whirled around to see Mike squirming and squealing on the ground, Ms. Murphy panicking, and Emmet and Jasper howling with laughter. It seemed that Emmet had "accidentally" jabbed Mike in the eye with his sword, a.k.a. pencil.

Edward and I tried to smother our laughter as Ms. Murphy helped Mike out the door, but we didn't manage very well.

The bell rang shortly afterwards and, still chortling, we walked out of the classroom. Edward turned to me just as we were about to part was and said, "I'll see you at lunch, right?" It was his fingers now that brushed my cheek, causing me to blush once again.

"S-sure," I stuttered, and he smirked, walking away.

I was such a dork.


	6. Meeting Jake and Hello Kitty Notebooks

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer does. Ya heard?_

* * *

I felt a sense of déjà vu as I stood in front of the door to room B-27, trying to muster up the courage to open it. Only Edward could have this effect on me.

Just as I reached to open the door, someone called my name. I turned around to see a handsome boy with long, black hair and russet-colored skin. He grinned at me easily and asked, "You're Bella, right? I'm Jake."

I stared at him confusedly and he clarified, "You know, from the play."

I faintly remembered the name from the cast list, though I didn't remember which part he had. I held my hand out to him, and we shook hands rather awkwardly.

Suddenly, the door opened, knocking me to the ground for the second time that week. I hit the ground with a dull thud as someone cried, "Oh! Bella, are you okay?"

I groaned and opened my eyes to see Jake staring down at me anxiously and Edward standing behind him, looking a cross between amused and embarrassed. I glared at him from the floor, and he chuckled nervously and said, "We've got to stop meeting like this."

I felt my glare soften at his pathetic joke. Jake abruptly said, "Bella, can I help you up?" He looked at Edward with a slightly suspicious and territorial visage. Edward merely raised one eyebrow in response.

Jake grabbed my hand and helped me up, not taking his eyes from Edward's face. The thought made me burst into uncontrollable, unexplained giggles.

Both boys looked at me like I was crazy. I merely shook my head, unable to stop giggling. Edward looked at me with amusement and said, "You're an odd bird, Bella". He looked at Jake and said, rather coolly, "You can leave now. She's fine."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Jake commented doubtfully, eyeing me warily.

Edward rolled his eyes and sighed, "I assure you, giggling is hardly lethal."

Jake huffed and said, "Yeah, whatever." He looked at me and said, "I'll see you later, Bella."

I waved at him as he walked away, looking behind him a few times as he did so.

"How irritating," Edward commented idly, "He had no class."

I whipped my head around and glared at him wrathfully. "Jake was nice," I growled, "Why are you judging him?"

"Oh, come on," Edward scoffed, "He was a total loser."

"You know, you're such a jerk!" I shouted, "Anyone who isn't a jock is total trash to you!"

"That's not true-" he began.

"You know, I think I should leave," I said, turning around to leave.

"No!" he said, grabbing my arm. "Wait."

"Let me go!" I replied angrily, tugging my arm.

"Just listen to me," he pleaded, "Let me show you I'm not a jerk."

I looked at him suspiciously, gauging his sincerity. He seemed to mean it, so I said, "Go on."

Edward's face brightened with an idea, and he said, "Look, how about you come to my house after school?"

Whatever I had expected him to say, it certainly wasn't that. "Why?" I asked, puzzled.

"Just trust me," Edward replied. He looked so eager, I couldn't refuse.

"Okay," I said. I added, "But you better not pull any stupid moves, or else."

"Don't worry," He said grinning. "I am totally sincere."

And he was. I could see it.

Suddenly, the bell rang, making both of us jump.

Edward looked into my eyes and said cheerfully, "I'll see you after school, Bells." He walked off with what looked suspiciously like a bounce in his step.

I arrived to fith period with a goofy smile on my face. Alice took one look at me and sang, "Someone's in loooooove!!"

"Say it louder, Alice, I don't think the people in China heard you!" I hissed, mortified.

"Oh Bella, you're so sensitive," she replied bubbily, pulling out her Hello Kitty notebook. "Love is a beautiful thing. There's no need to hide it!"

I said impatiently, "Yes, when I get home I'll shout it from the rooftops. But for now, let's _stop talking about it_."

"Fine," she muttered morosely. She then added, suddenly shrewd, "But would you mind telling me what you're doing after school?"

I sighed and said, "Alice, sometimes I swear your psychic. Okay, Edward asked me to come to his house after school."

"Oh, so now he's Edward?" she said slyly. Then what I said caught up with her and she squealed, "OMG! HE-ASKED-YOU-TO-GO-TO-HIS-HOOOUUUSSSEEE!!"

I shushed her frantically as all the other students turned to see what all the commotion was about. Alice stopped squealing and said, "Tomorrow, you _have_ to tell me _everything_."

I groaned and buried my head in my arms. What did I get myself into?


	7. Piano Man

_Disclaimer: Oh yeah, didn't I tell you? I bought the rights to **Twilight** a few days ago. On ebay...nah, just kidding. It all still belongs to Stephenie Meyer. *weeps*_

**A/N-Sorry for the wait, faithful readers. Now, on with chapter 7. :)**

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_Tick-tick-tick_

I tapped my foot impatiently as the end of sixth period drew nearer and nearer. Not nearly fast enough, in my opinion. I looked at the clock yet again, and was infuriated to see that the minute hand had not moved one inch. So focused was I on the clock that I jumped when a paper ball hit the side of my head. I opened it and read the message, which simply stated:

_What's up?_

I looked up to where Jasper sat looking at me, his brow furrowed and his gaze questioning. I looked back at the paper and, with an inaudible sigh, picked up my pencil to reply.

_It's nothing._

A second after I threw it to Jasper, the paper ball came soaring back.

_Then why do you look like you're about to stab somebody with a pencil?_ (**A/N- Yeah. I said it. ;)**)

I grunted with frustration, causing a few people to look at me, alarmed.

_Ask Alice. I'm sure she'll just tell you anyway._

I threw the ball back impatiently and jumped up as soon as the bell rang. I raced out of the classroom, leaving Jasper with what I was sure was a bewildered expression.

I had run all the way to the parking lot before I realized that I had no ride. Rosalie was taking her convertible to Emmet's and Jasper was leaving with Alice. I swore loudly, not knowing someone was behind me.

"My, my, such language."

I whirled around to find Edward standing behind me. He was smiling widely, amusement evident on his face.

"So, what's caused you to unleash foul curses upon unsuspecting bystanders?" he asked.

I blushed and muttered sheepishly, "Well, I forgot I don't have a ride."

"Well, that's not a problem." Edward sounded far too cheerful. I was suspicious.

"Why?" I asked.

He grinned and replied, "You can just come home with me to my house. After all, you were planning to later. Right?"

I rolled my eyes as we walked over to his silver Volvo and said sarcastically, "Edward, is this how you ask every girl out, or am I special?"

Edward flinched away from me playfully and said, "Careful, your caustic wit is burning me." He chivalrously opened the passenger door for me.

"Oh, you poor baby," I teased as I sat in the passenger seat.

"Bella, I'm feeling the Arctic chill here." Edward sat in the driver seat and started the car. We pulled out of the parking space with a quiet purr, and I was then treated to the joy that was Edward's driving.

"Holy cow! Slow down!" I shrieked as the speedometer lingered dangerously close to 100 mph.

Edward snorted and said, "Oh, come on, you're not afraid of a little speed, are you?"

I glared at him so viciously I was surprised he didn't burst into flames. "Slow. Down. Now." I hissed dangerously.

"Okay, okay," Edward sighed. The speedometer slowly dropped closer to 80. "Better?" he asked sarcastically.

"Much," I replied cheerfully.

Thanks to Edward's loopy driving (as far as I was concerned), we arrived at his house soon thereafter. I gasped when I caught sigh of it, a large, sprawling house with a colonial aura.

"Like it?" Edward asked, closely gauging my reaction.

"It's beautiful!" I replied enthusiastically. Edward looked a lot more cheerful after that.

He led me into the kitchen, which was clean and yet still had a homey feel to it. It was a warm, honey color and I could faintly detect the smell of, as clichéd as it was, cookies baking in the oven.

"Mom!" Edward hollered. "I want you to meet someone!"

A beautiful woman soon made her way into the kitchen. She had lovely auburn-colored

hair, and her eyes were exactly the same shade as Edward's. She gently scolded Edward, saying, "No need to yell, Edward. I was only in the garden, working on my painting." She turned to me and smiled welcomingly. "You must be Bella. Edward's said so much about you."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Masen," I replied humbly.

She laughed kindly and said, "Please, call me Esme."

"Sure thing, M - Esme."

"I'll leave you two alone," Esme said, smiling. "There's cookies in the oven if you would like some."

"Thanks, Esme." "Thanks, Mom."

As soon Esme walked out of the kitchen, I asked, "So, what exactly was the 'thing' you had to show me?"

Edward was instantly nervous, something I had never seen of him before. He said, "Well, we'll have to go into the living room."

I followed him into the living room, my inexplicable trepidation growing with every step. Edward went and sat on the bench of a beautiful piano. The top of it was very glossy and obviously well cared for. I walked over to it, my mouth open in awe.

"You play piano?" I asked, feeling stupid as soon as I asked it. Duh, of course he played the piano.

"Yep," Edward replied proudly, running his fingers across the ivory keys.

I then asked, sitting on the bench next to him, "So, how does this…what did you say, 'show me you're not a jerk'?"

Edward grew serious as he pondered his response.

"Well," he began, "I figured that, if you realized that I was a real person, you wouldn't only judge me based on my sometimes jerktastic tendencies."

I had to laugh at that one. "That's actually some pretty good reasoning," I approved.

It was then that I realized how close our faces were to each other.

"Yeah," Edward laughed softly. I could feel his warm breath on my lips. "I was hoping you'd see it that way."

His face came closer to mine. I was dazed by the unfathomable emotions in his eyes. Emboldened by a sudden rush of adrenaline, I pressed my lips to his.

Words could not express the amazing-ness of that first kiss with Edward. It was like tasting the sweetest candy and touching the hottest flame. The intensity of that moment was forever burned into my mind. Also, as I kissed Edward, I realized one thing: I was totally in love with him.

**EPOV** (**E**dward's **P**oint **O**f **V**iew)

When I kissed Bella, I realized two things:

One, I was hopelessly in love with her.

Two, I should NOT have made that bet.

I am SO going to hell for this.

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**A/N-DUN DUN DUN. Didn't see that one coming, did ya? Wonder what the bet's about. ;) The next few chapters will probably be in EPOV, m'kay? **

**-JJ**


	8. Romeo and Juliet, EPOV

_Disclaimer: I wish I owned Twilight. Then Edward would be all mine! MINE! HEAR THAT, BELLA? MIIIINE! ;)_

**A/N-So, as not to leave you guys hanging for too long, here's chapter 8. Or, more appropriately, chapter 1 in Edward's point of veiw.**

* * *

Romeo and Juliet: EPOV

"Dude! You have GOT to try this!" hollered one of my buddies on the football team. I rolled my eyes and chuckled at his idiotic-but still amusing-antics.

I sat down on one of the desks in Ms. Murphy's room as by friends threw a football back and forth. I eagerly joined the game, carelessly tossing the ball around with little regard to what-or whom-it hit.

I suddenly heard a loud thump and someone squeaked behind me. I turned around to see a brown haired clutching the side of her head, with the football on the ground by her feet. She looked up and stared at me like a brain-dead incompetent.

"Uh, can you throw the ball, _please_?" I snapped. Why should I waste any form of politeness on a loser?

"S-sure," she stuttered. Geez, for a nerd, she sure was stupid. She tossed the ball back to me and I turned my back on her, hoping she'd get the hint and not try and pursue conversation with me any longer.

Thankfully, she didn't. My friends and I tossed the ball back and forth some more, hitting a few freshmen in the process, until the bell rang. Ms. Murphy then pranced in, beaming at everyone like we all brightened her day just by showing up. Insert mental snort here.

"Hello, everyone!" she sang, "Today we are going to begin _Romeo and Juliet_!"

I suppressed a groan as I thought of the issues this was going to complicate. Guys just don't look cool on stage.

"Hey! You never said anything about this!" a guy shouted from somewhere behind me.

"I didn't?" she asked, puzzled. Everyone shook their heads vehemently. "Well, I'm telling you now!"

She walked past her desk and said, "Now, we will have quick auditions today. I will simply have you read from the script, so no need to worry about memorizing lines!"

"No need to worry about memorizing lines," my girlfriend Lauren mimicked beside me. I had to smother my laughter so that Ms. Murphy wouldn't catch us. Emboldened by my laughter, she announced, "It's obvious _I'm_ going to be Juliet."

"Sure thing, babe," I said. "You're the prettiest girl in this room."

"Awww," Lauren cooed, "That's soo sweet." She pulled my face down to hers and we enjoyed a few-minute make-out session.

Ms. Murphy then procceeded to start the auditions. Lauren and I could hardly stop laughing, with her making fun of every person who auditioned. It was hilarious.

There were, of course, a few good people. Most of them included the Hales and Cullens, with a few other random people. Lauren was the best, though. Of course.

Finally, it was my turn. Ms. Murphy said to me, "Okay, please read Romeo's soliloquy from Act 2, Scene 2."

I inwardly sighed and opened my mouth to read the lines:

"_He jests at scars that never felt a wound.  
But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?  
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.  
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,  
Who is already sick and pale with grief,  
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:  
Be not her maid, since she is envious;  
Her vestal livery is but sick and green  
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.  
It is my lady, O, it is my love!  
O, that she knew she were!  
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?  
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.  
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:  
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,  
Having some business, do entreat her eyes  
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.  
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?  
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,  
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven  
Would through the airy region stream so bright  
That birds would sing and think it were not night.  
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!  
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,  
That I might touch that cheek!"_

Many pathetic girls sighed in wht they probably thought was a breathy way, but I noticed the brown-haired girl from earlier simply had a soft blush on her cheeks. Wait. Why was I looking at her, a dork?

Ms. Murphy then handed that girl the script and said, "Just do your best, dear."

Despite myself, I leaned forward. I admit it, I was curious.

The brown-haired girl took a deep breath, and in a soft, lilting voice, began to read:

"_Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,  
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek  
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night  
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny  
What I have spoke: but farewell compliment!  
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say 'Ay,'  
And I will take thy word: yet if thou swear'st,  
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers' perjuries  
Then say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,  
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:  
Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,  
I'll frown and be perverse an say thee nay,  
So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world."_

Her voice slowly grew stronger and more confident as I watched, entranced.

_"In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond,  
And therefore thou mayst think my 'havior light:  
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true  
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.  
I should have been more strange, I must confess,  
But that thou overheard'st, ere I was ware,  
My true love's passion: therefore pardon me,  
And not impute this yielding to light love,  
Which the dark night hath so discovered."_

After she finished, there was only silence. The girl caught me looking at her and, blushing, hid her face in her script.

"Well done, well done!" exclaimed Ms. Murphy in delight. "That was wonderful!"

She took the script from the girl's hands and said, just as the bell rang, "Now, the parts will be posted tomorrow. Also, tomorrow we will begin reading _Romeo and Juliet_ for the first time, so be sure to bring your scripts which I gave you!" As soon as she was done talking, everyone rushed to get out the door.

I heard Emmet Cullen exclaim, "That was AWESOME, Bella!" as he crushed the brown-haired girl into a hug. So her name was Bella.

I left the room soon after, following Lauren as she prattled on about something or other. For some reason, the face of the brown-haired girl (_Bella_, I corrected myself) lingered at the back of my mind for the rest of the day.

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**A/N-So, what do you think? Yeah, I know Edward's a jerk, but it's necessary. Please Review! :)**


	9. Holy Statutory!, EPOV

_Disclaimer: Do you seriously need ME to tell you that I don't own bella, or Edward, etc.? Well, they're not mine. There._

**A/N- I just realized that I have not properly thanked you, my loyal reviewers, for your...well, loyalty. So, I must say, thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Every review brightens my day a little bit more. Thank you, thank you, thank you! :))))**

***clears throat* So, after that embarrasing display of emotion, here is chapter 9!**

* * *

I had trouble keeping up with Lauren as she ran to second period the next day.

She was, in my opinion, ridiculously excited about the posting of the cast list for _Romeo and Juliet_. As soon as Lauren reached the cast list outside the classroom, she let out a blood-curdling shriek of fury.

"What is it, babe?" I panted, clutching my side.

"Why the HELL did that stupid bitch get _my_ part?" Lauren screamed, her face purple. She marched inside, ignoring my feeble attempts to soothe her.

I leaned in closer to read the cast list, which read as follows:

Romeo: Edward Masen

Juliet: Bella Swan

Lord Montague: Ben Markham

Lady Montague: Lauren Mallory

Benvolio: Jasper Hale

Mercutio: Emmet Cullen

Abram: Matt Benningfield

Balthasar: Eric Thomas

Lord Capulet: Marcus Woods

Lady Capulet: Rosalie Hale

Tybalt: Mike Newton

Count Paris: Jacob Black

Nurse: Alice Cullen

Peter: Jeff Gomez

Prince Escalus: Angela Michaels

Friar Laurence: Jack Fredrickson

Friar John: Ernest Mitchell

Apothecary: Frank Baker

Gregory and Sampson: Hunter Stone and Trevor Albeck

_Bella got Juliet?_ I thought, shocked.

I walked into the classroom, lost in thought. It wasn't until I sat down that I realized that Lauren was standing in front of Bella, her hands on her hips. I noted that, while Lauren looked livid, Bella looked like she was fighting the urge to laugh.

Lauren said something inaudible to me, and Bella nodded her head slowly, still smirking. Lauren then flounced over to me, a satisfied smile on her face.

I briefly wondered at their exchange, until Lauren engaged me in a pleasant make-out session.

When we came up for air, I heard Ms. Murphy say, "Now, open your scripts to Act 1, Scene 1."

As we started reading the scripts, Lauren leaned over to me and whispered seductively, "Eddie, baby, I have an idea."

I turned to her and replied, "And what would that be, sugar-cakes?"

Lauren smiled angelically and said, "Well, as you know, that no-good loser was stupid enough to steal my part."

I couldn't agree with that, because Bella was pretty good. But, I didn't say as much.

"So?" I prompted.

Lauren continued to smile her disquieting smile. She continued, "So…I want revenge."

I stared at her blankly, not comprehending. She sighed in annoyance and elaborated.

"It's obvious, Eddie, that she has a crush on you. So…" Here Lauren's smile grew malicious, "you can _break her heart_."

I was already shaking my head. "That's not very nice," I said. What an understatement.

Lauren rolled her eyes and replied, "It's not _supposed_ to be nice. It's _revenge_."

I frowned at her, still uneasy. She huffed at me, obviously wondering why I wasn't agreeing.

"How about this…" Lauren said, grinning again, "…if you manage to make that loser fall in love with you, and break her heart, I will get my dad to pay your college tuition."

I gasped at her offer. It was a tempting one. If her dad payed my tuition, I'd be able to go to Julliard, and study music, instead of going to law school like my father wanted.

"What if I don't…?" I asked, stalling.

Lauren looked smug as she said, "If you don't manage it, then you have to take me to every dance, party, and social event for the rest of the year."

I considered her terms. I had to admit, they weren't bad.

"So…is it a bet?" Lauren prodded.

"I'll have to think about it," I murmured, lost in thought.

Our conversation was interrupted by Ms. Murphy, who said, "Ms. Mallory?"

Lauren blinked and turned to face the teacher. "Yes?" she replied scathingly.

"It's your line," Ms. Murphy reminded her.

"Oh!" Lauren said, surprised. She flipped through the pages, hopelessly lost.

"Scene 1, line 82," I whispered to her.

Lauren flipped to the right page and said,

"_Thou shalt not stir a foot to seek a foe."_

The play continued on from there. Lauren was silly enough to be provoked by Bella and her friend, and was scolded by Ms. Murphy in a rather amusing manner.

I allowed a grin to cross my face as I stared at Bella. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief as she high-fived her pixie-haired friend. She caught me staring at her, and when our eyes met a soft, tentative smile appeared on her face.

I scowled and turned away, not meeting her eyes for the rest of the lesson. It was hard enough to consider Lauren's bet objectively without Bella influencing my decision.

When the bell rang, Ms. Murphy announced, "Class, make sure you read the rest of the play, because tomorrow we will start rehearsing! Bella, Edward, please stay after class."

I froze when she said my name. Lauren looked at me curiously and I sighed, "No, go on without me. I'll catch up with you during lunch."

Lauren shrugged and grabbed her book bag. She slung it over her shoulder and left the room without a backward glance.

I trudged up to Ms. Murphy's desk, all the while moodily staring at the linoleum floor.

After everyone left, Ms. Murphy turned to Bella and I and said, "Starting after school, you two will have extra rehearsals. I'll have to work with you two more than the others."

"Do I have to? I have things to do, you know," I said. I winced, realizing I sounded a lot whinier than I meant to.

Ms. Murphy replied coolly, "You do if you want to pass. Both of you are dismissed."

As soon as she gave us permission to leave, I raced out the door. Conflicting emotions warred in my mind as I considered the pros and the cons in Lauren's bet.

As soon as lunch came around I walked in the cafeteria, over to where Lauren sat with her girlfriends. I pulled her away and, once we were a safe distance from her table, observed her. She had a _very_ smug look on her face.

"About the bet…" I began.

"Yes?" she replied, practically bouncing as she awaited my answer.

I took a deep breath and simply said, "I'll do it."

Lauren squealed and hugged me as tight as she could. "I knew you'd see it my way!" she sang.

As Lauren dragged me to her table, I thought, _this better be worth it._


	10. I've Really Done It Now, EPOV

_Dclaimer: I. DO. NOT. OWN. **TWILIGHT**. M'KAY?_

**A/N-Woah, I'm on a roll! Chapter 10, here it is!**

**P.S. WHOOOO! OVER 100 REVIEWS!!!! YOU GUYS ARE _AWESOME_!!!!!!!**

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I checked my watch for the fourth time, and groaned when I saw that only two minutes had passed. For some reason, I was anxious about seeing Bella again.

_That could just be the guilt eating away at you_, a snide voice whispered at the back of my mind.

I snorted at that. Ms. Murphy looked at me curiously as she sat grading papers at her desk.

I had no reason to feel guilty. Bella was just a nerd, a good-for-nothing loser.

_Ah, but if she is just that, then why is she suddenly __**Bella**__?_ The voice asked smugly, _Why do you consider her a person, as your __**equal**__?_

I had no answer to that. The voice gave a cackle and was silent.

_Great,_ I thought, _now I'm hearing voices. This bet is messing me up._

I checked my watch again. Less than a minute had passed. I huffed in frustration and marched to the door, intent on finding Bella.

Apparently, I was so intent on finding her that I didn't notice when the door hit her in the face. However, I did hear Bella squeak. I looked down and saw her holding her nose, staring up at me with disbelief.

I smirked, trying to hide my embarrassment, and said confidently, "Are you going to come inside any time soon?"

Bella scrambled up from the ground, her face bright red. She walked past me into the classroom, her head down. She looked so cute that I chuckled, in spite of myself.

_Wait…cute?_ I thought, horrified. _No, stupid, that's more like it._

I couldn't even convince myself.

I followed Bella up to Ms. Murphy's desk, where the teacher was pulling out her script. Ms. Murphy's eyes were twinkling eagerly as she flipped through the pages enthusiastically.

Ms. Murphy clapped her hands together and said happily, ""Now, naturally, we'll be starting on Act 1, Scene 5. That's when Romeo and Juliet first meet, of course!"

_Whooptie-freaking-doo_, I thought sarcastically, pulling out my script and turning to the appropriate page. I snuck a sidelong glance at Bella and was surprised to see her glaring at Ms. Murphy, her jaw clenched and her hands balled up into fists.

This picture was so funny I had to hold myself back to keep from howling with laughter. Bella noticed my stifled laughter and muttered, "Well, as long as you're enjoying yourself."

I let out a chuckle at her words, though the expression on her face made me think that I wasn't mean to hear her. Bella threw her backpack in a chair irritably, and took out her script as Ms. Murphy had instructed.

Ms. Murphy, oblivious to the entire exchange, said to me, "Alright, Edward, start where it says, _'__If I profane with my unworthiest hand; This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this'_."

Bella and I faced each other and I noticed the blush on Bella's face. Why was she blushing?

"_If I profane with my unworthiest hand  
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:  
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss,_" I read, scrutinizing Bella's expression.

"_Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,  
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;  
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,  
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss,"_ Bella said softly. I was shocked by the effect her gentle words had on me.

"_Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?_" I replied, smiling wryly at Shakespeare's dry wit.

"_Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer," _Bella whispered. A tiny smile was on her face, too.

"_O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;  
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair._" I said, and Bella lifted her eyes to meet mine. The loveliness of her eyes caught me off guard. They were wide and innocent, and a warm, chocolatey color.

"_Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake,_" Bella whispered. Her wide eyes were still focused on mine.

"_Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.  
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged,_" I recited, trying to keep my composure.

"_Then have my lips the sin that they have took." _Bella replied. A wide smile spread across her face.

"_Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
Give me my sin again_," I said quietly, dazzled by her smile.

"_You kiss by the book,_" she murmured. She sighed gently.

Ms. Murphy snapped me out of my daze by applauding wildly and squealing, "That was lovely! Wonderful! Oh, I knew I made a good choice picking you two for the parts!"

I was irrationally angry with Ms. Murphy, but I was furious with myself. Why the hell was I falling for Bella? Why _now_? My future rested on this bet, and I was ruining it by getting too attached. And this early in the game!

I caught sight of Bella, who was packing up, and I decided that it was time to make the first move. I sidled over to her, and grinned my most alluring grin. I felt like an idiot.

Bella looked allured, though, so I began wooing her.

"So, Bella," I said, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?"

Bella gaped at me, giving me false hope. Therefore, I didn't expect her to reply with, "Wait a minute- aren't you dating Lauren?"

Dammit! How could I forget that? "Well, yes" I admitted reluctantly, "But she doesn't have to know about it, does she?"

Bella continued to gape at me, but I was discouraged by the angry red spreading across her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, _Edward_," I winced when she spat my name, ""But I can't go out with someone who can't manage to get their priorities straight."

Ouch. I watched as she grabbed her backpack and marched out the door. The shock of her rejection was melting away, and I realized I was in deep shit.

As I packed up my things and walked out of the classroom, one thought repeated itself as a mantra in my head: "_What have I done?_"


	11. Loitering is IllegalEPOV

_Disclaimer: Twilight...is not mine. I know you thought it was, and I told you it was, but...I lied. Yeah._

**A/N-DANG! 'NOTHER ONE? M-HMM. Btw, you guys are awesome! Your reviews are soo great, and I really appreciate them! :)))**

* * *

"So.." began Lauren, "…how's the bet going?"

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. "She thinks I'm a cheating loser and she's been avoiding me for the past five days," I said, my voice muffled.

Lauren tsked in mock disapproval. "That'll never do," she said, "You'll have to get her to forgive you if this is going to work at all."

I pondered her words for a moment, and my expression brightened as an idea struck me. "I think I know what will make her forgive me."

"Really?" replied Lauren disinterestedly, observing her nails.

I glared at her irritably, but she failed to catch the hint. I huffed and, swinging my backpack onto my shoulder, set off for second period.

Most of rehearsal that day was either boring or irritating. Ms. Murphy was an absolute tyrant, ruling her class with a dainty, iron fist.

I decided to put my plan into motion as Ms. Murphy was scolding Emmet Cullen on his lines. The poor guy.

I started to sneak up behind Bella and, once behind her, stopped to observe the performers.

"It's not that hard, Emmet, just try it," Ms. Murphy encouraged.

Cullen took a deep breath and recited:

"_Alas poor Romeo! He is already dead; stabbed with a  
__white wench's black eye; shot through the ear with a  
love-song; the very pin of his heart cleft with-"_

"No, no," nagged our teacher, "Your lined aren't unhappy, they're sarcastic. Come on, try it again."

Cullen, a scowl on his face, tried again. "_Alas poor Romeo! He_-"

"No!" squealed Ms. Murphy, "You're still-"

"You know what?" howled Cullen, "I-I CAN'T WORK UNDER THESE CONDITIONS!!" He whirled around with a flourish and dramatically stormed offstage.

I looked at Bella and noticed that her shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter. I came up closer to her and said, "Having fun?"

Bella whirled around and fixed me with an acidic stare. It took all of my willpower to fight the urge to flinch.

"What do you want?" she asked coolly.

"Can't a guy just stand around?" I retorted, trying to sound innocent.

"That's called loitering, and is illegal in most establishments," she replied, turning her head back to the 'stage'.

I couldn't hold back a chuckle at her sarcasm. Deliberately looking at Lauren, I said casually, "You know, I broke up with Lauren yesterday."

Bella raised her eyebrow at me, nonchalant. "So?"

"So-" I hesitated, gauging her reaction. When she did nothing I continued, saying, "-so there shouldn't be any problem with you going out with me this Saturday?"

Bella looked at me like I was insane. Not a good sign.

"Are you trying to be _funny_?" she snarled. This time, I did flinch.

"Huh?" I asked, playing dumb.

Bella shook her head, utterly disgusted. "You're unbelievable."

"Wait – what?" I grabbed her arm desperately. She pulled her arm out of my grasp, furious.

"You think you can just dump your floozy of a girlfriend, and expect me to fall into your waiting arms?" she growled.

I didn't know what I was supposed to say. "Um…maybe?" I guessed.

She ony let out a wild howl of rage.. _I guess that was the wrong answer_.

I thanked whatever gods there were when Ms. Murphy called cheerily, ""Alright, Bella, Edward, you're up for Act 3, Scene 5."

Bella glared at Ms. Murphy with all the formidable anger of her previous glares, but Ms. Murphy was not cowed. "Best not to dawdle, now," she said.

Seemingly deflated, Bella grumbled her way up the stage steps. I followed her carefully, unable restrain my laughter.

We faced each other onstage with our scripts in our hands. Bella refused to meet my eyes, no matter how hard I tried to gain her attention.

"Okay, Juliet, begin," said Ms. Murphy in a business-like tone.

Bella took a deep breath before reluctantly beginning her lines:

"_Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day:  
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,  
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;  
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:  
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."_

She rolled her eyes, annoyed. I marveled at her cuteness. _Yeah, Eddie. You got it bad._

"_It was the lark, the herald of the morn,  
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks  
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:  
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day  
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.  
I must be gone and live, or stay and die_," I said. I frowned at the gooey romance.

I glanced at Bella again, who was scowling at her script. She seemed to spit her lines through clenched teeth:

"_Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I:  
It is some meteor that the sun exhales,  
To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,  
And light thee on thy way to Mantua:  
Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone."_

Our eyes met when she finished her line. On an impulse, I winked at her. What I didn't expect was the violent blush that erupted on her cheeks. _**What**__ was she thinking?_

"_Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;  
I am content, so thou wilt have it so.  
I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye,  
'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow;  
Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat  
The vaulty heaven so high above our heads:  
I have more care to stay than will to go:  
Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.  
How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day,"_ I said, unintentionally adding a pleading tone to my voice. Did I want to know what she was thinking that badly?

_"It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away!  
It is the lark that sings so out of tune,  
Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps.  
Some say the lark makes sweet division;  
This doth not so, for she divideth us:  
Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes,  
O, now I would they had changed voices too!  
Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray,  
Hunting thee hence with hunt's-up to the day,  
O, now be gone; more light and light it grows."_

Bella rolled her eyes again. She looked so funny when she did that.

I mentally berated myself on what I knew was a lost cause. I had already fallen for Bella, and hard. I pushed this thought to the back of my mind, keeping it there until I was ready to deal with it.

"_More light and light; more dark and dark our woes!_," I finished, almost sighing with relief.

Bella looked pathetically grateful when Ms. Murphy dismissed us early. I knew that I had only seconds to catch her, so I speedily packed my belongings and raced over to her before she had the time to jogout the door.

"Hey…what's the hurry?" I asked, grinning my most charming grin.

Bella looked at me and sighed, "What do you want?"

I let my cheerful mask fall, and looked her in the eyes solemnly. "What can I do to convince you I'm serious about you?" I asked her tenderly.

Bella blinked, apparently surprised at my tone. She considered my question and responded, "Well, you have to be willing to work for it. I'm not one of your floozys, Edward."

Her words inexplicably gave me an idea, and I could hardly contain my enthusiasm.

"Don't I know it," I laughed, suprising Bella and myself. I beamed at her and said myseteriously, "I'll see you tomorrow."

I walked out of the room, leaving Bella looking after me with a strange expression on her face. I couldn't contain the bounce in my step as I mulled over my plans.

_If Bella wants me to woo her, then that's what she'll get._

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**A/N- Review, or Mr. Bobblybottoms gets it. **

**...JK, please review!**


	12. The Pencil, EPOV

_Disclaimer: Twilight=not mine._

**A/N-Here's chapter 12. Hope you guys like it. :)**

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I was quite excited the next morning, something my buddies noticed right away and questioned me about.

For example, when Nick saw me he yelled, "Hey, dude, did you get laid last night?"

Yeah. My friends aren't the most imaginative people.

Anyways, I was excited because of the Woo-Bella-With-Romance-And-Flowers plan. I was quite proud of myself, considering I've never actally had to work for a girl's affection before. Of course, that meant I had no idea what I was supposed to do. So, I sought the help of my mother.

As soon as I said, "Mom there's this girl-" she started sqealing. She then said, "Oh, it's about time you found a nice girl. You should get her some nice flowers, that always worked in my day, and-OH YES!- you should invite her to have lunch with you, a romantic lunch-"

Needless to say, my mother was very enthusiastic.

So, walking into school, I put phase one into action. I knew where Bella's locker was, having seen her there with her siblings many times before. I walked to her locker and surreptitiously slipped a letter into her locker.

Feeling very pleased with myself, I then walked to my first period. All through first period I squirmed in my seat, hoping the person I hired for phase two of the plan had pulled through. As soon as the bell rang, I shot out of my seat and raced to second period.

When I reached second period, I sat down at my usual seat and watched for Bella. Lauren came in soon after me and, looking at the door, then looking at me, said, "What exactly are you looking at?"

"The door," I replied, not taking my eyes of the said object, "I've put another plan into motion." I didn't think it was necessary to tell her how excited I was about the said plan.

"Oh?" asked Lauren, looking satisfied. "You really wat to win this bet, don't you?"

I inwardly cringed and replied cautiously, "I want it to be over with, that's for sure."

Lauren misinterpreted my meaning and said, "Yeah, it's totally bogus having to pretend we're not together. But, it'll soon be over, right?"

I took my gaze off the door and, looking at the desk, replied, "Yeah." I tried unsuccessfully to ignore the fact that I didn't want the bet to be over, not really. Bella was fascinating, unlike any other girl I've every met. I just couldn't stay away from her.

I looked up from my desk when I heard the booming laughter of Emmet Cullen. I saw him walking in, carrying Bella's flowers for her. She was walking next to him, laughing, a rosy blush on her cheeks. He set her flowers down for her, and she thanked him. After sitting down she caught my eye, and blushed and smiled at me.

Lauren whispered next to me, "Oh yes, you've got her in the palm of your hand," but I didn't listen. Bella's smile caused my heart to stutter in my chest, a strange sensation. I grinned back at her, elated.

A few minutes later Ms. Murphy walked in and cried, "Alright, let's get started!" A chorus of groans accompanied this announcement, along with the rustling of scripts as everyone flipped pages to the right scene.

Ms. Murphy, her script already open, informed us, "Today we will be doing Act 3, Scene 1. So…" She flipped through the pages at a remarkable speed. "Let's have Benvolio, Mercutio, and Tybalt come up to the front of the room. Everyone else: talk quietly amongst yourselves."

Emmet Cullen, Jasper Hale, and that idiot Mike Newton all walked up to Ms. Murphy, and I siezed my chanced. Slipping out of my desk, I walked over to the empty chair next to Bella and sat down. She looked at me curiosly, a book already in her hands.

"Did you like the flowers?" I asked uncertainly.

Bella smiled her amazing smile again and replied shyly, "Very much."

My grin grew bigger at her statement. I probably looked like a lovesick idiot.

Bella suddenly looked over to observe Cullen as he performed his lines. I took this opportunity to observe Bella. I had never really noticed the deep, mahogany color of her hair, nor the delicate porcelian color of her skin-

I was brought out of my trance when Bella giggled and turned to face me again. She caught me staring at her and frowned. "Do I have something on my face?" she asked self-consciously. Her fingers brushed her cheek enticingly.

I hesitated before relpying, "You know, you're kind of cute when you laugh."

Bella grinned mischeviously and said, "What, I'm only _kind of_ cute? I'm hurt!"

I rolled my eyes to dispell my embarassment and said, "Well, now that you've fully quashed my dignity, I have a few questions for you."

"Like what?" she asked suspiciously. Her nose scrunched up adorably.

"Hmmm…" I thought for a moment. "What's your favorite color?"

"Green," she replied automatically. Then she blushed. I wondered why, but I didn't ask.

I then nodded and asked another question. "Okay, what's the most embarrassing think that's ever happened to you?"

Bella opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by "OW! MYYY EEYEE!!!!"

Both Bella and I whirled around to see Newton squirming and squealing on the ground, Ms. Murphy panicking, and Cullen and Hale howling with laughter. It seemed that Cullen

had "accidentally" jabbed Newton in the eye with his sword, a.k.a. pencil.

Bella and I tried to smother our laughter as Ms. Murphy helped Newton out the door, but we didn't manage very well.

When the bella ring, I escorted Bella to the door. I turned to face her and asked, "I'll see you at lunch, right?" I brushed my fingers against her cheek and was pleased to see her blush.

"S-sure," she stuttered.

I smirked, feeling satisfied with myself, and walked away, eagerly anticipating lunch with Bella.

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A/N- Please Review! Oh, and, if you have time, please read my story _Hindsight Is Always 20/20_ on fictionpress. I have the same screen name, so...yeah.

THANKS!!!

-JJ


	13. Meeting Jake, EPOV

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. No need to sue._

**A/N- Sorry for the wait. Life kind of got in the way. I'm just glad finals are over. Good for me, good for you...it's all good. :)**

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I felt a sense of déjà vu when I checked my watch for the umpteenth time. According to it, Bella should have been here two minutes ago. Consequently, I was worried.

I got up and opened the door to look down the hallway. What I didn't expect was the loud SMACK that sounded as I opened it.

"Bella-!" someone cried, "-are you ok?"

I poked my head around the door to see Bella, on the ground, with some dude leaning over her. She glared up at me.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," I joked weakly. Bell's glare softened slightly at my feeble humor.

"Bella, can I help you up?" the dude suddenly asked, observing me suspiciously. Bella reached up to take his hand, and I felt a sudden, overwhelming surge of jealousy.

Bella suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. We both looked at her, bewildered.

"You're an odd bird, Bella," I said, feeling amused. I turned to the dude and said stiffly, "You can leave now. She's fine."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the dude said. I noted how his eyes lingered appreciatively on Bella's body. His indecency infuriated me.

"I assure you, giggling is hardly lethal," I growled. He ignored me.

The dude huffed and said, "Yeah, whatever." He looked at Bella and said; "I'll see you later."

_Not if I have anything to say about it_, I thought, watching him walk down the hallway.

Turning to Bella, who was watching him walk down the hallway as well, I commented, "How irritating. He had no class."

I didn't expect Bella to whirl around and eye me viciously. "Jake was nice," she snarled. "Why are you judging him?"

"Oh come on. He was a total loser," I replied, a little miffed. Couldn't she see that?

"You know, you're such a jerk!" Bella shouted, "Anyone who isn't a jock is total trash to you!"

I was shocked. "That's not true-".

"You know, I think I should leave," Bella spun around and made to leave. Desperate, I grabbed her arm, saying, "No! Wait!"

As Bella looked at me furiously, I wracked my brains for something, anything to help my case.

Bella growled, "Let me go!" She tried to wrench her arm from my grasp, but it proved futile.

"Just listen to me," I begged, "Let me show you I'm not a jerk."

She looked highly doubtful. "Go on."

Emboldened by hope, I asked, "Look, how about you come to my house after school?"

My ego took a hit when Bella asked incredulously, "Why?"

"Just trust me."

I waited as Bella pondered my request. "Okay," Bella finally decided. My heart soared. She added, "But you better not pull any stupid moves, or else."

I laughed, too elated to take her threat seriously. "Don't worry, I am totally sincere."

Bella gave a small smile at that. The bell rang, surprising us both. I said goodbye to Bella and walked away with a bounce in my step.

I received a lot of odd stares when I arrived to fifth period. I ignored them as I sat down, humming a tune.

I stopped humming when I realized what I was doing.

_I must be heartless, _I thought gloomily, _to even continue thinking about going through with the bet. _

However much I hated myself, I was too selfish to give up such a _valuable_ opportunity. I grimaced, thinking about how much I sounded like my father. Like the coward I am, I put all my feelings about Bella and the bet out of my mind, to avoid acknowledging the monster I was.

"OMG! HE-ASKED-YOU-TO-GO-TO-HIS-HOOOUUUSSSEEE!!!!" All of my classmates craned their necks toward the door to find the source of this exclamation. I chuckled, recognizing the voice as Alice Cullen's.

The screech fom down the hall effectively distracted me from my predicament with Bella and Lauren. But little did I know I would receive a swift kick in the ass from reality later today.

A kick that I thoroughly deserved.

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**A/N- Mr. Button down here would really like it if you clicked him...**

**Wow...that sounded really wrong. **

**Well, you know what I mean.**

**Review, por favor!**

**-JJ**


	14. Piano Man, EPOV

_Disclaimer: Twilight = not mine. Mkay? :)_

**A/N-There we go. Back on track, so to speak. Last EPOV, then back to BPOV! (For now...)**

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_Tick-tick-tick_

I tapped my fingers on the desktop as my English teacher droned on about the importance of MLA format. I noticed Lauren eyeing me warily, so I stopped my incessant tapping. A few minutes later I started up again.

"What's wrong, Eddie?" Lauren whispered. I inwardly cringed at the nickname, but offered up no information. She sighed and asked, "What's got you so irritated?"

I wasn't irritated. I was nervous.

"Nothing." I hoped that was enough to deter Lauren. I obviously didn't know her well enough.

"Is it about the bet?" she asked. I stayed silent.

Lauren observed me and a look of dawning comprehension emerged on her face. "Don't tell me you're feeling _guilty_?" she gasped, very amused. At my silence, her eyes grew darker and she said quietly, "Well, are you? Do you-dare I say it-like the stupid girl?"

My anger flared at her words, but I forced myself to lie.

"Of course not, sweetheart," I said earnestly. "You're the only girl for me."

This seemed to cheer Lauren up quite a bit. "You're too cute," she cooed in reply. I nearly gagged.

"So," she continued, relish in her voice, "How's the bet going?"

I lowered my eyes and sighed. "She's coming to my house tonight."

Lauren clapped her hands together in delight. "Excellent!" she cackled, "She's nearly in the palm of your hand. Get her to kiss you and you've got her!"

I was momentarily distracted by the thought of what it would be like to kiss Bella. I mentally shook myself and replied with a decidedly unenthusiastic, "Yeah."

Luckily for me, at that moment the bell rang. Lauren gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and her parting words to me were, "Be sure to _crush_ her."

I watched Lauren leave, a feeling of disgust present towards her. Looking at my watch, I realized that I needed to get home to prepare for Bella's visit.

While I was looking in my backpack for my keys, I heard I familiar voice curse angrily. I chuckled and looked up at Bella, who had her back to me.

"My, my, such language," I joked, causing Bella to whirl around. When she saw me, she smiled sheepishly.

"So, what's caused you to unleash foul curses upon unsuspecting bystanders?" I queried, hiding my concern under a humorous façade. Bella blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment, mumbling, "Well, I forgot I don't have a ride,"

I was immediately struck with a wonderful idea.

"Well, that's not a problem," I responded happily. Bella's head jerked up, an already suspicious expression on her face. "Why?" she asked, squinting at me feircely.

"You can just come home with me to my house. After all, you were planning to later. Right?" I was so proud of myself. Bella, however, did not look as impressed. She asked sarcastically, "Edward, is this how you ask every girl out, or am I special?"

I grinned, unperturbed by her acidity, and cringed. "Careful, your caustic wit is burning me," I teased, making sure to open the door for her.

Bella ducked into the car and I heard her respond, "Oh, you poor baby."

Not bothering to hold in my laughter, I opened the driver's side and got in. Starting the car, I retorted, "Bella, I'm feeling the Arctic chill here."

That got a giggle out of her and I relished the sound of her laughter. I pulled out of the parking lot and we sped down the road to my house.

All of a sudden Bella tightly grabbed the armrests and yelled, "Holy cow! Slow down!"

Alarmed, I accidentally swerved the car, causing Bella to whimper in fear. Looking at the speedometer, I looked back at Bella and scoffed, "Oh, come on, you're not afraid of a little speed, are you?"

Bella looked about ready to spit fire. "Slow. Down. Now," she fumed.

I felt it was wise to not argue. I let the needle drift down to 80, and before I could stop myself inquired sarcastically, "Better?"

"Much," Bella replied cheerfully.

In a few minutes, we made it to my house. Personally, I really liked it. It had a certain charm to it. I turned to Bella to gauge her reaction.

"Like it?" I asked apprehensively. She grinned at me and nodded.

I led Bella into the kitched, Mom's indisputable Domain (Yes. It deserved the capital D). Looking around the kitchen, I yelled, "Mom!"

Quick as can be, mom made her way into the kitchen. "No need to yell, Edward," she chided, "I was only in the garden, working on my painting." She caught sight of Bella, and her eyes lit up.

"You must be Bella. Edward's said so much about you," mom beamed. My face burned at her confession, but Bella didn't seem to notice.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Masen," Bella smiled shyly. Mom laughed and said, "Please, call me Esme."

"Sure thing, M - Esme."

"I'll leave you two alone," mom said, smiling. "There's cookies in the oven if you would like some."

I rolled my eyes. Mom was so predictable.

"Thanks, Esme." "Thanks, Mom."

As soon mom walked out of the kitchen, Bella asked, "So, what exactly was the 'thing' you had to show me?"

I gulped, suddenly nervos. I still wasn't sure what Bella's reaction would be to my confession. Deciding it was now or never, I said, "Well, we'll have to go into the living room."

I led Bella into the living room, to where my piano was. I ran my fingers over the keys, feeling less nervous all of a sudden. I looked back to where Bella was standing, her mouth open. I gestured to the space next to me on the banch, and Bella promptly sat down next to me.

"You play piano?" she asked in awe. "Yep," I replied proudly, happy that I had finally imressed her.

Bella shook herself out of her daze and questioned, "So, how does this…what did you say, 'show me you're not a jerk'?"

I felt my heart plummet. I was still a jerk, even if I convinced her otherwise.

"Well," I began, "I figured that, if you realized that I was a real person, you wouldn't only judge me based on my sometimes jerktastic tendencies."

I was surprised when Bella laughed softly. "That's actually some pretty good reasoning," she approved. I realized how close her face was. My eyes were drawn to her lips, which were a soft pink, slightly parted. I looked back into her eyes and replied hoarsly, "Yeah, I was hoping you'd see it that way."

Bella's eyelids lowered slightly, which was all the warning I had before I felt her lips on mine.

Never, in my wildest daydreams, could I have precisely imagined the intensity of kissing Bella. I have never, ever felt these kind of feelings when kissing any other girl. Lauren didn't even come close.

When I kissed Bella, I realized two things:

One, I was hopelessly in love with her.

Two, I should NOT have made that bet.

I am SO going to hell for this.

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**A/N- So? How was it? Like it? Hate it? TELL ME!**

**PUSH MR. BUTTON, FOR PETE'S SAKE! You know you want to... ;)**


	15. Reflection

_Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine, and I highly doubt that it ever will be._

**A/N- Yes, this is a very short chapter. I just didn't know exactly how to write it, and it ended up really short. Oh well. Next chapter will definately be longer, if that's any consolation. :]**

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**BPOV**

I stared at my _Romeo and Juliet_ script, feeling hopelessly confused.

And not just because of the play itself. No, I was thinking of Edward. More specifically, his attitude earlier today.

We were just sitting on his piano, discussing his "jerktasticness", when the next thing I knew, he was kissing me. Not that I regretted it. In fact, I couldn't have wanted it more. No, it was Edward's reaction that worried me.

After making out for what seemed like an eternity (but in reality was only a few seconds), Edward jumped up and nearly forced me out the door, hurriedly making excuses for why I had to leave. Being dazed as I was, I hadn't spotted his actions for what they were: a blunt dismissal.

_Edward wasn't trying to get rid of you_, my heart tried to insist, _maybe he really had to do what he said he did._

Yeah. And I was the Queen of England.

Despite the fact that I knew what Edward had meant by his actions, I couldn't extinguish the hope that had sparked in my heart. Maybe Edward was just confused. God knows I certainly was.

Comforted by my thoughts, I slipped into bed and into my dreams, dreams full of hope for what Edward and I could be.

-------

**EPOV**

I buried my face in my hands, feeling absolutely disgusted with myself.

When I had kissed Bella, the feelings for her that I had so carefully hidden underneath layers and layers of rationalization burst forth and consumed me. Feelings that I had never felt before, for anyone else. Feelings that, needless to say, scared the hell out of me.

That same fear drove me to force Bella out of the house, feeding her excuses that sounded pathetic even to my own ears. After kicking her out, I ran up to my bedroom and blasted my ipod for about an hour, trying to shake off the self-loathing that threatened to overwhelm me.

I sighed and, taking my face out of my hands, grabbed my cell and dialed a number.

"Hello?" a female voice chirped.

My grip on the phone tightened. I can't believe I was going to do this.

"Hi Lauren. I...I need to tell you something."


	16. Oh NO She Didn't

_Disclaimer: Twilight is, in fact, not mine. I know...it's a shocker._

**A/N- Finally! Man, this chapter was a hard one to write. But I finally got it written...and I have an idea of where it's going from here. Anyways, here's the chapter! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

The next day I went to school in hopeful spirits. After several hours of reasoning with myself, I was convinced that the night before had simply been a misunderstanding. Maybe Edward had only been confused about everything. Maybe.

I walked to my locker with confidence, hardly being able to contain my excitement. Rosalie, having met me at my locker, raised an eyebrow at my bubbliness.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked suspiciously. I hummed in response, hesitant to reply. "Could it have anything to do with a certain bronze-haired, green-eyed jock?" Rosalie continued shrewdly, causing me to blush.

"Maybe…" I mumbled, virtually confirming her suspicions.

"Aha!" crowed Rosalie in triumph, "Details, sister!"

I blushed even harder at her exclamation . Despite my embarrassment, I blurted, "We kissed!"

Rosalie squealed at a pitch that I'm sure could have broken glass, had there been any nearby. She grabbed my arm and demanded, "More details than THAT, Bella!"

At her prompting I found myself spilling all that had happened the previous night, from the car ride to the kiss. Rosalie squealed at several parts and asked me questions that left me blushing furiously. Fortunately, the bell rang, saving me from any more questions. Rosalie and I rushed to 1st period, where the teacher scolded us for being late and resumed his lecture on the difference between mitosis and meiosis.

All during 1st period I tried to figure out what exactly I was going to say to Edward. I gazed out the window, tuning out the teacher's droning voice. Various ideas flitted across my mind, each one feebler than the last. By the time the bell rang, I hadn't decided on anything. Sighing, I got up and allowed Rosalie to grab onto my arm and drag me to 2nd period.

When we entered the classroom, I immediately searched for Edward. I caught sight of his bronze hair, but my heart stuttered when I saw a blonder head bent next to his. Lauren Mallory.

My confusion grew when he straightened and, having caught the puzzled glance I sent to him, jerked back down. As if hiding from me.

_Why would he be hiding from me?_ I wondered uneasily. The fact that Lauren was smirking at me nastily didn't help matters. My confusion slowly turned to anxiety as she approached me, Edward following her with what appeared to be the greatest reluctance.

I was momentarily distracted from them when Rosalie grabbed my arm and hissed, "Why is that witch looking at you like that?"

I opened my mouth to answer but Lauren cut me off by saying, "Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

I shifted uneasily under her smug glare. I took a quick glance at Edward, hoping to get some hint about Lauren's attitude, but he was staring resolutely at the floor.

"What's this about, Mallory?" Rosalie asked furiously. To my surprise, Lauren only smiled wider. Turning to Edward, she asked sweetly, "Why don't you tell them, baby?"

Edward's head snapped up as he gave Lauren a look of horror. She responded by rolling her eyes and huffing. Facing Rosalie and I again, she gave a vicious little smile and said, "Well then, since Eddie's being such a downer, I suppose I will tell you."

We had gained an audience now; I could feel the curious gazes of the students surrounding us.

"You see," Lauren began, "You had decided to challenge me-" here her eyes darkened, and her mouth contorted into a snarl of hatred, "-and people who challenge me always learn one way or another that _I_ rule this school, and that _I_ will always rule _this_ _school_!"

Lauren took a moment to compose herself, before continuing in a sickeningly sweet voice. "I have to admit this was one of my more brilliant plans. You had tried to steal my boyfriend (not that you ever could), so what better way to humiliate you?"

I began to shake when I realized where she was going with her little speech. My vision blurred as my eyes filled with tears. Lauren continued, paying no mind to my reaction.

"So, I convinced Eddie here to steal your heart, and lure you into my trap. It seems that my plan worked even better then expected, eh Swan?"

A few people in the crowd laughed, causing Lauren to smirk triumphantly. I bit my lip, willing the tears in my eyes not to fall. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

"I told Eddie to woo you, to gain your trust," she continued, "Then, when he had your heart in his hands, to crush you. After all, what better way to ruin a wannabe boyfriend stealer than to break her heart?"

She laughed when I choked back a sob. I felt Edward's eyes on me now, but I refused to look at him. I wouldn't look at him. Not anymore.

Lauren, seeing the exchange (or lack thereof), jeered, "What's the matter, Swan? Finally realized that you don't deserve to even look at him? I can't believe you even fell for it in the first place. Why would he have ever looked at you? He has _me_, Swan, and I have way more to offer than _you_ ever could!"

Even though I knew Lauren was only saying it to hurt me, I couldn't help but take her words to heart. And I hated myself for it.

"And the best part," Lauren exclaimed, a savage glee in her voice, "was that he broke your heart, and ruined you, all for money! He was PAID to do it! He would never have touched you otherwise!"

The crowd began to laugh, and I finally succumbed to my tears.

"Do you want to know how much you were worth?…"

I didn't hear Lauren's next words. I didn't hear what Rosalie snarled in reply. I only looked up and glared at Edward with all the loathing I had to offer. And then, in true cowardly fashion, I ran away.


	17. Final Author's Note

I am afraid that I will not be finishing this story. I deeply apologize for abandoning this story, but I do not have the drive to finish it, and I feel that it would be unfair to lead you all to believe that I will be finishing it. If anyone would like to adopt my story, then they are more than welcome to. I again apologize, and I thank you all for your encouragement and support.

-lyonhearted


	18. ADOPTION NOTICE

Although I will not be continuing **The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet**, someone has agreed to adopt it. If any of you are interested in continuing to read it, you will be able to find it on Monstergirl245's profile. It may take some time for her to get the story up, but it will be posted. I hope you guys enjoy where she goes with it :)

-lyonhearted


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